Leakproof sump-type containers



April 1961 G. R. DEMPSTER 2,978,139

LEAKPROOF SUMP-TYPE CONTAINERS Filed March 22, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet i INVENTOR aglsakafkow smfi April 1961 G. R. DEMPSTER LEAKPROOF SUMP-TYPE CONTAINERS s SheetsSheet 2 Filed March 22, 1955 INVENTOR GEO/96; 1?.DEMP57E/P,

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ATTORNEYS April 4, 1961 (5.1 2. DEMPSTER LEAKPROQF SUMP-TYPE CONTAINERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 22, 1955 IN VENTOR ATTORNEY5 United Patented Apr. 4, 1961 LEAKPROOF SUMP-TYPE CONTAINERS George R. Dempster, Dempster Brothers Inc., P.0. Box 3127, Knoxville, Tenn.

Filed Mar. 22, 1955, Ser. No. 496,031

4- Claims. (Cl. 220-32) This invention relates to improvements in leakproot sump-type containers, and more particularly to the types of containers used for trash, garbage, and other refuse.

It has been customary to handle refuse containers with transporting and dumping equipment of the types set forth in my prior patents, No. 2,281,183, April 28, 1942, and No. 2,369,722, February 20, 1945, as examples of such equipment. Such containers customarily are filled while sitting on the ground or on the floor, street, etc., and thereafter may be picked up by the transporting and dumping equipment on a motor vehicle, on which the container may be transported to the point of dumping, the contents discharged, and returned or hauled to the point of re-use. Frequently, a considerable quantity of liquid may be received in the container, especially when hauling garbage and other materials, but when the container has a drop bottom as in Patent No. 2,369,722, and is tilted forward on the vehicle in its transport position, the liquid spills out. Furthermore, some of the liquid may leak out at the point of filling and contaminate the spot around the container so as to be highly objectionable in service.

Various attempts have been made to provide for the sealing of the edges of the drop bottom door to prevent the leakage of liquid therefrom, both when the container is sitting on the ground and when it is tilted forward in carrying position on the vehicle. Such provisions as have been made for this purpose have not been as entirely satisfactory as may be desired and have added considerably to the cost of construction of the container.

One object of this invention is to retain a considerable quantity of liquid within the container while sitting in its position to be filled, and then later, when the container israised and tilted forward on the transporting equipment in its carrying position, the liquid is retained in the container without danger of leaking out.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a drop bottom containerthe provision of a sump in the drop bottom door which will receive and enclose the liquid contents thereof and prevent leakage through the crack between the door and container when the container is tilted in carrying position.

Still another object of the invention is to provide for the sealing of the crack between a drop bottom door and the body of a container on which it is used against the leakage of the contents therefrom when the container is tilted in carrying position.

Another object of theinvention is to improve the construction of the container, both as to the drop bottom door, which is formed to provide a sump for retaining the contents therein even when the container is tilted forward in carrying position, and for covering the crack between the door and the adjacent hinge wall of the container to insure of proper shedding of the contents when the drop bottom door is opened. 7

These objects may be accomplished, according to one embodiment of the invention, by constructing a drop bottom container with a sump therein which normally contains liquid. This sump includes a receptacle provided on the drop bottom door which will trap the liquid in the container against leakage when the container is tilted in its carrying position on the vehicle. This provides a leakproof sump with a receptacle of substantial quantity that will allow the container to tip forward to a considerable degree without leakage through the crack between the door and the body of the container.

Provision may be made for sealing the crack between the body of the container and the drop bottom door and to shed the contents of the container into the sump provided in the drop bottom door as the latter is opened. The drop bottom door is provided with an upturned portion on the hinged edge thereof, which preferably is substantially in vertical alignment with the front wall of the container and which cooperates with an upturned front edge and with end sections to form a sump of substantial capacity for containing the liquid, both when the container is resting on the ground and when it is tilted forward in carrying position. This upturned forward edge portion is spaced appreciably above the hinge edge of the drop bottom door so as not to leave an appreciable open gap therebetween when the door is dropped open to dump the contents. Moreover, a baffle plate is movably mounted on the front wall of the container to coact with the upturned edge portion of the door when the latter is opened to seal effectively the crack between the door and the front wall of the container. 4

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a cabinet-type container showing the invention applied thereto; 7

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower hinge edge portion of the container, with the drop bottom door in open position; i

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the container;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View therethrough, substantially on the line 44 in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section at right angles to Fig. 4 and showing the hinge edge of the door and the baflle plate.

The invention is adapted to be applied to transporting and dumping equipment of the character generally represented in my prior patent, No. 2,369,722, granted February 20, 1945, merely as an example of the type of equipment in connection with which this improved container may be used.

This transporting and dumping equipment includes a motor vehicle chassis having hoisting means connected therewith for raising the container from the ground and setting it on a container rest provided on the hoisting unit. This rest is usually inclined forwardly of the container during transportation, to hold the container in place thereon. Flexible devices are connected with the hoisting means for engagement with the container to lift the latter, and a dumping hook is applied to the hoisting unit for engaging with a bail on the container to support the body of the latter during dumping. The foregoing equipment is not illustrated herein because it is set forth fully in the aforesaid patent, No. 2,3 69,722.

The container shown as an embodiment of this invention for use with the transporting and dumping equip-- ment is of the cabinet type. However, it will be understood that this invention may be applied to other forms of drop bottom containers, either open at the top or closed in various ways, and is not to be restricted to the specific form illustrated.

This container is constructed preferably of sheet metal of relatively heavy gauge, according to the size and capacity of the container and the material to be received therein, and is relatively rigid unitary structure. End walls are shown at 10, front and back walls at 11 and 12, and a bottom at 13, all being formed of suitable steel plates or the like, secured in the desired shape and rigidly connected together either integral or connected by welding or other suitable fastening means to form said ends and sides. The body of the container is open at the bottom except as it is closed by the drop bottom door 13. A closure may be provided at the top, as illustrated at 14, forming a hood thereover, with one or more openings which may have doors 15 in the end or ends thereof and/ or in the top, according to this embodiment, although this may be changed to any desired extent.

The bottom 13 is provided with an upstanding end section 16, either formed in one integral piece with the bottom or welded or otherwise secured thereto, and shaped to fit in cut-out notches 17 provided in the end walls 10 of the container. The sections 16, if not formed in one integral piece with the bottom 13, may be made by notching-out the end plates and using the cut-out portions to form the end sections. These end sections 16 preferably have the lifting pins 18 attached thereto adapted to receive the lifting chains or flexible devices connected with the hoisting unit.

The plate of the drop bottom door 13 has an upturned rearward edge portion 19 which extends in an inclined direction, according to this embodiment of the invention, and is adapted to extend substantially to the lower edge of the rear wall 12 of the container. An upturned forward edge portion of the bottom 13 is shown at 20 which extends preferably in direct vertical alignment with the front wall 11 of the container. This upturned forward edge portion 2% is shown as formed in one integral piece with the plate forming the bottom door 13, although it may be made separately therefrom and secured rigidly thereto.

Both of the upturned edge portions 19 and 20 extend throughout the length of the door and are sealed at their opposite ends to the end sections 16. The upper edges of the end sections in are substantially in alignment with the upturned portions 19 and 20, whereby a sump is formed in the door 13 of substantial capacity to receive and contain a considerable quantity of liquid, either when the container is resting on the ground or when it is tilted forward in its carrying position.

The drop bottom door 13 is mounted on hinge pin 21. Each of the hinge pins 21 is secured to a supporting bar 22 extending upwardly along the adjacent corner of the container and is welded or otherwise secured to the front wall 11 thereof and to the adjacent end wall 1% above the cut-out 37, as indicated at 22. It is shown in Fig. as slightly spaced from the end section 16 to allow freedom of movement thereof into closed position relative to said end wall. The hinge pin extends through one side of the angle bar support 22 and through a hinge boss 23 secured on the inner face of said angle bar, thence through straps 24 welded or otherwise fixed to the bottom face of the plate of the door 13.

It will be noted that the angle bar supports 22 extend downward below the drop bottom door 13 sufficiently to locate the hinge pins 21 below the door, and with the upturned portion 20 projecting upwardly from the hinge pins substantially in vertical alignment therewith. This enables the door to swing open in the relation shown in Fig. 2, or to be closed in the relation shown in Fig. 4.

When the door is open, as shown in Fig. 2, there would be a substantial crack between the upturned edge portion 20 of the door and the bottom edge of the front wall 11 of the container, which may permit some of the contained material to fall through that crack rather than to be shed over the rear edge of the door, as desired. In order to close this crack during the discharge of the material, I have provided a baffle plate 25 which extends downwardly on the inner face of the front wall 11 in position to overlap the free edge of the portion 20 of the door in open position.

This baflle plate 25 is preferably hinged at 26 to a supporting plate 27 that is secured by welding or otherwise to the inner face of the front wall 11 and extends laterally from said front wall a suflicient distance to dispose the baffle plate 25 laterally thereof. The lower edge of the front wall 11 also has an offset portion 28 thereon which is braced at 29. This offset portion 28 extends laterally sufficiently to form an intermediate stop for the bafile plate 25, holding the bafile plate suspended in spaced relation from the front wall 11 in position to cooperate with and to be engaged by the free edge of the upturned door portion 20. A flange 30 is shown as formed on the free edge of the baffle plate 25 to hook over the free edge of the door portion 20 in open position and coacting therewith to insure of covering the crack between the front wall of the container and the front edge portion of the door.

The walls and other parts of the container may be suitably braced by angle bars, channels and the like, to whatever extent may be required. This bracing includes supporting bars 31 on the drop bottom door 13, which act as supports for the container when the latter is resting on the ground. The lower ends of the angle bar supports 22 at the forward corners of the container are shown in Fig. 4 as projecting downward somewhat below the bottom faces of the bars 31, and thus the forward edge portion of the container will rest on the ends of the supports 22. However, if desired, these may be terminated substantially in the horizontal plane of the bottom faces of the bars 31, so as to coact with the latter in providing a level support for the container.

Normally, the container will rest substantially as shown in Fig. 1, separate and apart from the transporting equipment to be filled with refuse of any type that may be introduced into it. When it is desired to dump the contents of the container, a hoisting unit of the character shown, for example, in my prior patent, No. 2,369,722, may be moved into juxtaposition with the container; the hoisting chains thereof connected with the lifting pins 18, and the container elevated on the hoisting means and transported to the point of dumping. At such point, the automatic book of the hoisting means is engaged with the bail 32 (Fig. 3) connected with the front wall 11 of the container. This connection supports the body of the container while the door 13 is lowered substantially to the position shown in Fig. 2, for dumping the contents of the container. During such dumping action, the contents are shed over the door and are prevented from dropping through the crack between the door and the lower edge of the front wall 11 by the bafile plate 25, thus assuring complete and effective discharge as desired.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein, as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A container for transporting and dumping equipment comprising a body portion having front and end walls, a bottom discharge door substantially closing the bottom of the body portion, said bottom door having upstanding end sections thereon, means hingedly conmeeting the bottom door at an edge thereof to the body portion at a point spaced appreciably downward from the lower edge of the front wall, said bottom door having an upturned forward edge portion extending from said hinge edge of the door to the lower edge of the front wall and disposed substantially in an upright plane extending through said front wall.

2. A container for transporting and dumping equipment comprising a body portion having front and end walls, a bottom discharge door substantially closing the bottom of the body portion, said bottom door having upstanding end sections thereon, means hingedly connecting the bottom door at an edge thereof to the body portion at a point spaced appreciably downward from the lower edge of the front wall, said bottom door having an upturned forward edge portion extending from said hinge edge of the door to the lower edge of the front wall,

5 anda baffie plate hingedly supported on the front wall and extending therefrom in overlapping relation with said forward edge portion of the door when said door is open to discharge position.

3. A container for transporting and dumping equipment comprising a body portion having front, rear and end walls, a bottom discharge door substantially closing the bottom of the body portion, said bottom door having upstanding end sections thereon coacting with portions of the door to form a sump therein, means hingedly connecting the bottom door at an edge thereof to the body portion at a point spaced appreciably downward from the lower edge of the front wall, said bottom door being mounted on the hinge means for downward swinging movement to an open discharge position, said bottom door having an upturned forward edgeportion extending from said hinge edge to thelower edge of the front wall in direct alignment therewith and disposed substantially in an upright plane extending through said front wall.

4. A container for transporting and dumping equip ment comprising a body portion having front, rear and end walls, a bottom discharge door substantially closing the bottom of the body portion, said bottom door having upstanding end sections thereon coasting with portions of the door to form a sump therein, means hingedly connecting the bottom door at an edge thereof to the body portion at a point spaced appreciably downward from the lower edge of the front wall, said bottom door being mounted on the hinge means for downward swingtom door having an upturned forward edge portion extending from said hinge edge to the lower edge of the front wall in direct alignment therewith and disposed substantially in an upright plane extending through said front wall, said hinge means including lateral supporting bars extending downwardly from the lower edge of the front wall to points below the door, and hinge pins connected with the door and supported by the bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,223,778 Black Dec. 3, 1940 2,664,221 Seltzer Dec. 29, 1953 2,682,975 Stoner July 6, 1954 2,690,277 Shea et al. Sept. 28, 1954 2,697,002 J'ohansson Dec. 14, 1954 2,718,978 Gandrod Sept. 27, 1955 2,772,911 Dempster Dec. 4, 1956 2,772,919 Jones Dec. 4, 1956 2,853,204 Jones Sept. 23, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,900 Great Britain Ian. 29, 1943 

